The Times After
by OkamiWolvesForever
Summary: After Amaterasu defeats Yami, she decides to pay a visit to her old friends down in Nippon. She realizes there is a new evil threatening Nippon, and she and the team (Waka, Issun, and Oki) must find the new threat and rid Nippon from evil.
1. Chapter 1

How Okami should have ended...

This is my version of an epilogue for Okami.

The sun shone high and bright in the sky. I was enjoying the warmth of the sun on my fur, and was confident the sun would never go away unless of course I wanted it to. This may sound like something out of a fairy tale, but it truly is not. For I am Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. I have many names. Shiranui, O Great Beast of White, the White One, etc. I prefer the name Amaterasu, or Ammy, if you please.

My form is of a wolf (And a beautiful one at that, mind you). I currently live on the Celestial Plain, the place of gods. When I say currently, I say it because I truly don't feel I belong here, even though I am the mother of the gods. I feel I belong down in Nippon, with my true friends I have made over the months. I deeply miss my comrade and guide Issun, the wandering artist. You could say he was sort of my mentor, and he is only about two inches tall. He's a Poncle, a sort of sprite if you will. It's odd, but I sort of miss the way he used to drool every time we met a maiden. And he complained about wolf slobber. Oh, the times we had.

I could explain things about Issun all day, but I'd like you to have a little backstory on the rest of my friends. The first friend I really ever made was Kushi, the sake brewer of Kamiki Village. Along the way I learned to trust others as well. Kokari was one of my favorites. I remember how Issun and I used to help him catch fish. Now he is a young, strong man who adores adventure, more thanks to his dog Ume than me. There are two whom I admire greatly. One is Waka. He was the one that took me here to the Celestial Plain, my true home. He helped me restore it to its full power, and now nothing could be better. He also saved my life when we faced off Yami, the Ruler of Darkness.

The other whom I admire is the Oina tribe warrior Oki. I never got my chance to thank him for helping me defeat Nechku and Lechku, the twin owl demons. Although he took the sacred sword Kutone without permission, he proved to be a selfless warrior. Instead of taking his chance to finish off the twin demons, he helped me and Issun save the old version of me, Shiranui, the one who had saved Nagi and helped defeat Orochi. To think it was me a hundred years ago. I do not remember my life a hundred years ago. I am Shiranui reborn. And while Shiranui lay there, slowly dying, he stayed with her until Ishaku, Shiranui's Poncle mentor, appeared and instructed him to help me. We found the twin demons and defeated them. Oki then returned to his tribe, where he made peace with the chief Samickle and restored power to the Ark of Yamato, the same ark that brought me here, by putting Kutone back in its rightful place.

I am not sure if I would ever admit it to Oki, but I feel like I need him. He was the one I admired the most, with his selfless acts to save Shiranui, and although I have known him for only about two weeks, I wanted to stay with him. Oki is not human. He is Oina. He may have a human appearance, but he chooses when he can be his other form. A wolf. Sometimes, when nothing is on my mind, I think of him, wondering if he is watching the same stars as I. It is the same with Issun. Such thoughts lead me to believing I need to go back to Nippon, like maybe my business is not over there.

I stand and stretch. Over the few months of being here I had learned to talk, finally, so others can understand. I had only been able to understand language, not speak it. Fortunately, I had also learned to change my shape as well. I could appear human when I wanted to, but I preferred my wolf form. It was also good for when I reunited, if I ever do, with Oki. I trotted from my napping place, in the middle of a clearing in the beautiful cherry tree orchard. Luckily, Waka lived close by. Also very lucky, he lived under a pond. His house floated about twenty feet in the air, so I could not easily jump up onto his porch. Lowering myself into the water, I used my Celestial Brush Technique Watersprout, making the water form an ascending column of water. I rode it to the top, where I could easily hop onto Waka's porch.

I head-butted his door. "Waka? Can I speak to you for a moment?" I asked, hoping he was home. Luckily he was. He came to the door, his long golden hair sparkling in the sun. He was wearing the usual costume, the pinkish coat with red buttons, the red pants. (Don't tell him I said this, but in my mind I like to call him Captain Fuzzy Buttons. It really fits!)

"Ah, Amaterasu. What can I do for you?" He asked me. I wasn't sure I was prepared to tell him what I was about to.

"I was wondering. Is it possible you could return me to Nippon? I feel like I have unfinished business there." He looked at me, a skeptical look on his face.

"Do you really feel you need to go back? Do you not like it here?" He asked me, giving me a look, his face registering hurt.

"No, I love it here, Waka! I really do. But I miss my friends, and deep down I have a nagging feeling something is going on. I must go back." I told him. I hoped he understood how I felt, as he did not make friends with anyone where I had made many. He had done the smart thing.

He sighed. "If you feel you must, I suppose I can take you."

"Oh thank you, Waka!" I exclaimed, jumping up and licking his face. He laughed.

"Stop! Stop, that tickles!" He laughed, gently lowering me down.

"Alright, meet me at the base," He said, entering the house. "I'll be right there, I need to put something away really quick," He said over his shoulder. I gave a quick bark to symbolize I understood, and jumped down into the pond. I swam to the bank, gave a quick shake, and took off west, in the direction of the underground base where the Ark of Yamato waited.

I ran past the Hanagami's garden, the place the three gods of flora lived. Sakigami was out, making the flowers bloom, and he waved as I zipped past. I yipped to him. I entered the woods, dodging trees, until I came to a sunlit clearing. There was a crack in the ground. I used my brush to create a cherry bomb, which transformed the crack into a large hole. I jumped down into it. In front of me stood a large metal sword. I equipped my lightning sword, the sword that utilizes lightning power, and zapped the metal one. To my left a large door opened. I replaced the sword with my rosary beads. I walked along a narrow bridge, where the view was amazing. Below me stood the beautiful ark, the rectangular patterns on it glowing blue. I found steps leading down.

As usual, Waka had arrived first. How he did it, I will never know. Excited, I wagged my tail and jumped into the ark. I was hoping we would land in Laochi Lake, near the place Oki lived. I figured I would make a request to land there. Waka smiled at me, clearly pleased to be using the ark again.

"Did you want to go back too, Waka?" I asked him. By the way he looked at me, I knew what the answer was. Of course, why he wanted to go back was somewhat of a mystery to me. Yet Waka was a mysterious character. Being of the Moon Tribe, he had special powers. Yes, that includes flying. Lucky for him.

"Indeed, Amaterasu. I have awaited the day of the return. I do prefer the Celestial Plain, but visiting won't do me any harm, right?" He said. I grunted playfully. I was about to transform to my human appearance, but thought I would save it as a surprise for Oki and Issun. I know exactly what Issun will say. For Oki, I am not so sure.

"Shall we get this show on the road?" Waka asked, smiling at me.

"Indeed we shall! Onwards, to Nippon!" I exclaimed excitedly. Waka pressed one of the many buttons in the cabin of the ark, and at once we suddenly teleported into the evening sky.

"Sun or moon?" I asked Waka.

"Nighttime would be more fun, don't you think?" He responded. So I got out my Celestial brush and drew a cresent, the mark of Yumigami, the moon goddess. Instantly the evening turned to night. There were stars in the sky, and to add to the beauty, I created a few shooting stars with my brush. I yawned. Nighttime made me sleepy.

"I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me up if we arrive." I said. He nodded. I turned around and walked out onto the deck, where I curled up under the watch of the moon and the stars.

It only seemed like a couple minutes later when Waka woke me.

"We're here." At that moment, I remembered I hadn't told him to go to Laochi Lake. I scolded myself. One of my flaws. Memory. I got up, and a feeling of relief swept through me. I swear it's like Waka could read my mind. Issun once told me he could read me like a book. Perhaps that is the reason, I'm easy to read. We had landed in Laochi Lake, which had ironically frozen over. We unfroze the lake when the ark was restored, when me and Waka made our way home, to the Celestial Plain. I jumped down onto the ice, and immediately slipped. Such grace, I thought. I stood up, cautiously, and walked the rest of the way to the shore.

"I'm so glad to be back here," I said, sighing. Waka materialized beside me.

"Indeed. Now, shall we explore?" He said, leaping into the air and disappearing. I snorted. Waka and his magic tricks. It was somewhat cold, but it would be worse if I didn't have a nice furry coat. I shook myself, then trotted down into the village of Wep'Keer. I wasn't sure who first to greet. From my position, Oki's house was the farthest away from me. I didn't have to decide who to greet, for a figure had seen me and come towards me. I recognized the light blue fur immediately. Samickle, the chief of the Oina Tribe.

"Amaterasu? Is that really you?" He asked, running up to me. He transformed to his human form.

"Indeed. It is me. I'm glad to see you again!" I said, and I wagged my tail. I nearly died when I caught the look on his face. The whole speaking thing was new to him.

"I didn't know you could talk!" He exclaimed. I snorted playfully. I wanted to change to my human form, but still I wanted to save it for Oki.

"I've learned. Where's Oki?"

"Oki? Well, this may come as a surprise to you, but he is the chief of the Oina tribe now. He lives in Kemu's place." He said. I looked at him in surprise.

"What happened to you being the chief? And what happened to Kemu?" I asked.

"Kemu, unfortunately, has passed. I surrendered my authority to Oki when I realized he was more prepared than I had ever been. Plus, I had always admired him."

"Surrendered? You two didn't fight, did you?"

"No, of course not! I meant, I gave up the authority for him to have it. He deserved it."

"Oh, I see. I am sorry about Kemu." I said. I wanted Samickle to take me straight to Oki, so I could see him again. See him with this authority.

"There was nothing that could be done. He passed not long after you had left. There is also something I have to tell you. It might be against Oki's will if I tell you this, though." He said, looking around to see if anyone else had noticed us.

"What is it?" I asked, getting a bad feeling in my stomach. I hoped it wasn't something that could change my thoughts about Oki. Samickle changed back to wolf form. He leaned in close to me, his muzzle next to my ear.

"I think Oki has suffered the most when you left." He whispered. I stood, dumbfounded, trying to make sense of what Samickle was implying. The feeling in my stomach turned to a warm feeling. So Oki loves me? Well, that makes things easier for both of us.

"Take me to him." I instructed. He nodded, and I swear he could understand my feelings towards Oki. I followed him to Kemu's old house. Now I shall be calling it Oki's house.

"You can go. Thanks, Samickle." I told him. He dipped his head, turned, and ran off. I swore I saw a mischievous smile on his face. I pushed the door open. The feeling in my stomach turned to butterflies. Now that I could see him again, what could I say to him? Telling him first off that I loved him didn't seem like an option.

"Who's there?" Someone asked. I recognized Oki's voice. Then I saw him. He was in human form, still wearing that silly mask that I had learned to love. He looked at me. I looked back at him. We stood that way for a while.

"Amaterasu? What? How? What are you doing here?" He asked. I couldn't read his face because of the mask, but the tone of his voice implied surprise and joy.

"I wanted to come back. I wanted to see my friends again!" I said, making the closest thing to a smile as I could on my wolf lips.

"That's great! I've missed your fiery spirit, Ammy." He said. He turned to wolf form. I ran up and nuzzled him. If wolves could cry, I thought.

"I'm so glad to see you again," I said. I sat there, leaning against him. He let me. In fact, I think he rather enjoyed it.

"Me too," He said.

"I've got a surprise for you." I told him.

"Like this surprise isn't enough?" He asked, and I backed from the comfort of his fur. I focused from inside, imagining myself as human. There was a flash, and a small amount of pain. I heard Oki gasp. I was now taller than he in his wolf form. When he had recovered his wits, he turned back to human.

"A-Ammy... I never knew!" He said, and I imagined behind his mask his mouth must be open in surprise.

"I only just learned to do this. Pretty cool, huh?" I asked. I had looked at myself in human form before, from Waka's mirror, and from the ponds and lakes around my home in the Celestial Plain. I wasn't exactly sure what to think of myself. Soft skin, white hair resembling my fur, and a white dress with the red spiral pattern. My eyes were a soft orange, symbolizing the sun. Oki just stared.

"Wow," He whispered. "You're so... beautiful," He said in awe. I smiled a warm, reassuring smile. I did something I've wanted to do for a while now. I walked up to him, put my hands on his mask, and removed it. He didn't try to stop me. I pretended to gasp. I dropped his mask and put my hand over my mouth. I nearly fainted. He had an absolutely handsome face... and his eyes! They were a dark red, almost brown color. Everything about him... so, well, perfect. I stumbled forward and he caught me.

"W-Wow," I managed.

"I'm not ugly, am I?!" He said, a hint of a joke in his tone.

"Far from it..." I started. I didn't know what else to say. I didn't have to say anything. He leaned in and kissed me, a quick kiss, but enough for that warm feeling to spread through me. I think he realized what he did, the way he pulled away so quickly.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to, I-" He started, but I pulled him close and kissed him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we stayed that way for a while. Suddenly Oki quickly pulled away. I gave him a questioning look, but he wasn't looking at me. I turned around and saw little Lika, the young Oina girl I had rescued before I left for the Celestial Plain. She sat there staring. She, too, had a mask on like most of the Oina tribe, so I couldn't see her expression.

"Whoa," She finally said. "You have a girlfriend?" We both stared with surprise at her, for she had sneaken up on us at a bad moment.

"Lika, I, uh, no..." He started. Lika looked at me.

"Hey, I know you, don't I? You're that wolf Ama something or other, the one who saved me. Didn't you leave?" She asked. I didn't say anything. I just stood there, dumbfounded. "You look cool in human form. Aren't you cold? You're only wearing a dress." She told me.

"Uh, I'm not cold, thanks," I said, recovering from the surprise.

"Oh, right." She said, and I knew by the way she said it she probably had a sly smile on her face.

"You came at a bad moment," Oki said. His face turned from surprised to serious. "What do you want?"

"I was looking for my sis. She went out hunting a while ago, she hasn't come back. I thought maybe you would know where she is." She said. She looked down, at my hand. I realized I was holding Oki's hand. Immediately I let go.

"I'm guessing my sister isn't here... Well, goodbye!" She said, turning and skipping away. She was singing "Oki has a girlfriend, Oki has a girlfriend," I guess it was lucky she didn't say anything about my hand, but really? I wondered how long it took for Oki to realize she was there. How long was she watching us? Hopefully not long. No doubt the whole village will be at Oki's doorstep, asking about me and how I'm in love with him.

"Sorry, I, um, well, I'm gonna go find my other friends before I'm hunted down," I told him.

"No, Ammy, wait!" He said as I turned. I turned back to him, seeing the hurt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have noticed her before but-" He started to say, but I hugged him. He shut up.

"It's okay. It's my fault, I'm the one who kissed you." I said, tears welling up because I wanted to leave before I was interrogated by everyone. I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay there and be with him... It was the main reason I came here. Of course, I wanted to see Issun again too.

"No, it's not. It's none of our faults. Well, someone would have found out eventually." He said, resting his forehead on mine. Found out what? That we were kissing? In love? Well, it didn't matter, it goes along the same line. I can see it now; everyone will be coming after me, asking me about my form, if I did it just because of Oki, all that stuff. All heard from a little girl. I know next time I hear the story it will be exaggerated. A single tear fell down my face. I didn't want to leave.

Oki must have realized how I felt. He took my hands and led me to a chair. I looked up at him, and he smiled reassuringly. I sat down. He brought me a cup of something warm. I wasn't sure what it was, but it tasted really good. He sat down in a chair across from mine. He also had a cup of the warm stuff. I didn't ask him what it was. We just stared at each other; my stare sad, his concerned.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I stayed silent, looking down at my lap. I heard him get up from his chair. I looked up, watched him set his cup down. He came over to me, kneeled in front of me. He took my hands. I stood up, and so did he.

"I love you," He whispered in my ear. "That will never change, Amaterasu." I looked towards the door, wanting to lock it so no unwanted visitors would come. We could stay here, not worry about the whole tribe coming in, asking questions. Or...

"Do you want to go somewhere more private, where no one will find us?" I ask him. He looks at me, then at the door.

"Come on," He said, taking my hand and leading me towards the door. We slip out silently, and now I feel the intense coldness. I shiver. Remembering that I was only in a dress, he apologizes quickly and runs inside. He comes out, carrying a heavy coat. He wrapped it around me. It felt like it had been in front of the fire; it was nice and warm.

"Thanks," I said. He nodded and took my hand. I followed him out, and we walked down the hill in front of his house. Ahead, there was a large gate. Oki opened the gate, and we slipped inside. I was worried about our footprints, but it had been snowing heavily. I hoped it covered them. We were in a small field, surrounded by hills. Hopefully no one would look for us. Oki was the chief. I was a goddess who saved Nippon. Our chances of not being found was about the same as a cheetah not being able to catch a turtle. Might as well make the time last, though.

"I know this isn't a very good spot, but hopefully they'll all be at my house before they check here." He said, putting his arms around my waist. I buried my face in his fur coat. "Are you still cold at all?" He asked, starting to wrap his coat around me.

"Not when I'm in your arms," I said. It was true. I didn't feel cold, the warm feeling spread throughout my body. I looked up, and he smiled. I smiled back. I looked into his eyes, seeing love and care in them.

"I have an idea," I said, pulling away and setting the coat on a nearby tree. I turned into wolf form. I had noticed a large snowball nearby, something kids had probably made. I started rolling it. The snowball was picking up fallen snow, and it was getting bigger and bigger the more I rolled it. Oki caught on. He turned into wolf form as well and helped me push the snowball. Soon, it was about as tall as Oki's shoulder in human form. We rolled it in front of the door. I felt a little bit more secure. Turning back into human form, I tried pushing it. It barely budged. Good enough, I thought.

"That was a good idea," Oki said, turning to human form. I smiled at him. He smiled back. He grabbed my coat off of the tree branch and wrapped it around me again.

"Shall we resume?" He asked, taking my hands. I smiled.

"Yeah," I said. He leaned towards me, putting his lips on mine. I imagine we kissed for a long time, but when he pulled away, it had only felt like seconds. As Oki went to kiss me again, we heard it.

"Oki! Amaterasu! Come on, open up!" Someone called. I knew who that was! Surprise caused my mouth to drop open.

"Ammy! Hey, do me a favor and open the gate? Don't make me use my sword!"

Someone laughed in the background. "Calm down, my little bouncing friend!" I heard Waka say. I turned to wolf form, and looked to Oki. He turned to wolf form as well. He helped me push the giant snowball out of the way. Immediately, the gate opened and Waka appeared. On his head sat Issun. Issun jumped off of Waka and landed on my head. He walked to the end of my muzzle, on my nose.

"Ammy! You're back! I missed ya, ya big furball!" He said, bouncing up and down on my nose.

"Yeah, I missed you too," I said. He stopped bouncing. He was so small that I could barely see his expression. Probably surprised that I could talk.

"Whoa, you can talk! Wait, how come you didn't say anything to me on our big adventure?" He said, bouncing again.

"I learned on the Celestial Plain," I said, shaking him off my nose. "There is another thing I have to show you." I backed up, focused on my human form.

"A-Ammy?! How?" Issun asked. He stopped talking. I imagined him drooling over me right now. "I'm gonna find the Lucky Mallet and make you my size!" He exclaimed. I laughed.

"Sorry, I'm already taken," I told him.

"Taken? What do you mean?" He asked, sounding very confused.

"I'm taken by a handsome hero, this guy here," I said, putting my arm around Oki. Issun didn't say anything. Then he started bouncing again.

"Why you..! Oki, I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He exclaimed. Oki put his hands up in surrender.

"Please don't, mighty warrior!" He said, in a joking tone. Issun was raging mad. It was almost amusing. I had never loved him like I love Oki, but he is still my best friend.

"Alright, you two. Issun, calm down. Oh, I almost forgot. I have questions. How's it been? Are the monsters gone completely? Anything I need to go on an adventure for?" I said, and at this point Issun had jumped up onto Oki's shoulder and had his sword at his throat.

"Issun! Stop trying to kill Oki!" I snapped. Issun sheathed his sword. Oki glanced my way and gave me a thankful look.

"Everything is fine. Mostly," Issun muttered.

"Mostly?"

"Yeah, mostly. Kushi is missing from Kamiki Village. Princess Fuse is missing from Kusa. Otohime is missing from the Dragon Palace. Kaguya hasn't come back from wherever she went. Kai is missing from the Oina tribe."

"You call that 'Mostly'?!" I exclaim. Apparently, I had another adventure on my hands. Wait, let me rephrase that. _We _had a big adventure on our hands.

"Okay, it's not fine!" Issun said quickly, realizing that trying to kill Oki would get me to kill him. He knew he was already on my nerves. At least, he thinks so. I don't have nerves for my closest friends. Luckily he doesn't know that.

"Well team, I guess we have a big adventure to go on." I said with a smile. Then Oki took my hand.

"Ammy, I am the chief of this village. I can't just leave the village to fend for itself!" He said sadly, looking down at his feet. "I'm sorry, but I can't go." Disappointment worked its way into me.

"Oh..." I said. I leaned my forehead against his, thinking about what I should do. I wasn't sure if I could go on without him. He is also the strongest warrior of the Oina tribe. I looked into his beautiful eyes. If we left him, I would never forgive myself if something happened to him or the village. The tears started again. Having to leave Oki. With a possibilty of never seeing him again. It was too much to bear.

"Ammy, I really want to come, but my loyalty lies here, in the village. I promised to keep it safe. I can't go back on my promise." He said. As if the rest of the gang wasn't there, I leaned forward and kissed him. I'm glad everyone else watched respectfully, even Issun managed to keep his tongue.

"I'll go with whatever decision you make," I told him sadly.

"I have to stay here, it's my duty to protect the village. I am so, so sorry, Ammy." He said. "But I hope you know that I love you. And if you ever need my help out there, you muster up the loudest howl you can, and I'll come running, regardless of my duty." He managed a weak smile. We kissed one last time. He whispered "I love you," into my ear, and then I let go of his hands.

"You two lovebirds done kissing over there?" Issun asked impatiently.

"Shut it, Issun. How would you feel if your lover had to stay behind?" Waka asked, which sort of surprised me. I had never really seen Waka speak up in my defense before.

"Come on, guys. Let's go before the brokenheartedness of this moment kills me." I said, turning back into a wolf. My team follows me, Oki turns into a wolf and walks next to me. I rest my head against him as we walk. I could tell he wanted desperately to comfort me, but he knew anything he said would make it worse. Waka and Issun wait by the path while I walk with Oki back to his house.

"Wait right here." He says as he turns into human form and walks into his house. A moment later he reappears with a necklace. It somewhat matches his own, a large fang with a black symbol, shaped like a sun, etched in it. He puts it around my neck. I look up sadly at him. He turns back into a wolf, and motions for me to come to him. I walk over and bury my muzzle in his long fur around his neck, wishing he could come with us. We sit there for a while, cuddling.

"I had better go," I said. "I don't want Issun to flip out on me again."

"I understand. Know this, Amaterasu; there is light from the demons through the sun. If you ever find yourself lost, find the light and it will shine the way." I didn't understand what it meant, but I didn't ask. I knew the time would come when I understood it. I touched my nose to his, turned, and reluctantly walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As we walked away from the village, I could feel Oki's stare. In my head, I couldn't believe he would leave me for a promise to protect the village, but in my heart... I knew what he did was right. I tried not to think about him, but everything I looked at made me think of him. Like when I look at Issun, I think of the way Oki blushed and glanced at me when Issun asked him if he had a crush. When I look at Waka, he is one I admire, so it makes it easy to think of Oki. When I look at the trees, I think of how we used to go to that clearing in the woods, where I listened to his jokes. When I hear owls at night, I think of how he helped me defeat the twin owl demons. When I look down at the grass, I think of the tall grass we hid in when a demon was chasing us. It wasn't fair.

I was broken.

I wanted to run back, persuade him to come, or not even go on an adventure at all and stay at his house. I snort at my imagination when I think of me and him alone, kissing all night. Sometimes, Waka or Issun tries to lighten the mood. It doesn't really help.

"I've got another joke!" Exclaims Issun. I sigh. Like the countless others before it had been, it was probably something weird and uncomprehendable.

"I wasn't gonna say this one until I ran out, and you'll know why I didn't want to say it. Don't judge! Okay, so, what is the last thing that goes through a bug's mind when it hits the sails of an ark?" I groaned miserably.

"That's right, it's butt! You get it? Good one, huh?" Issun said, trying to sound cheerful for my sake.

"Yeah, hilarious." I grumbled. Waka was trying to put on an amused smile, but it wasn't really working. It seems that whatever mood I'm in, it reflects to my team, too.

"Hey Issun, tell us the one about the cannibals again!" Waka said, still trying to put on that weak smile.

"The cannibal one? Oh, right! So, there are two cannibals eating a clown and one says to the other; 'Does this taste funny to you?'" Waka and Issun laughed halfheartedly. I did not laugh at all.

We are walking in any general direction, occasionally getting tips from Issun; "Left to Kusa Village" and "No, Waka, we're going to Kusa Village. We can stop at Kamiki later." I walk along the river, sometimes creating streams of water shaped like a broken heart. Issun tried to play a trick on me and Waka, but nearly got himself killed in doing so. He used his brush to create a stream of water which dumped on our heads. In response, he was stripped of his brush and was currently covered in wolf slobber. We walked along in silence.

The only thing I could now think about was the amulet around my neck. We were nearly to Kusa Village. Apparently we were going there because there were witnesses of Princess Fuse's kidnap. You would think her Canine Warriors would go after her. But no, they had summoned me instead. Finally, we reached Kusa Village. We walked up the ramp next to the hotel, following it up until we reached Princess Fuse's home. We walk inside, and instantly five pairs of eyes are on us. Canine Warrior Rei approached us, a white and lightish green pointer who symbolizes honor. He bowed respectively.

"Amaterasu. We are thankful you have come. As you can see, Princess Fuse has been kidnapped. We have summoned you, Great Mother Amaterasu, to help us find our lost master." I sighed. I was tired of being called Great Mother Amaterasu. If I was honest, I would prefer Ammy. Great. That gets me thinking of Oki again. I shook myself, trying to rid my mind of him.  
"Something wrong, O Great Mother?" Another Canine Warrior asked.

"No, I, uh, I'm fine." I said, trying so hard to look strong. The same Canine warrior who asked obviously could tell it was heartbreak. How people can read me so easily, I will never know.

"Who was it?" The Warrior asked, cocking his head.

"What? Oh, um. Look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?" I snapped. I knew I had been too harsh. "Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood." The Canine Warriors looked a little hurt, but they stayed strong. "Now, who was the witness? I want to get this adventure on the road. The faster we finish the faster I can see-" I stopped myself, mid-sentence. I had to stop thinking of him! I needed a nap. That's what I needed. And if I couldn't fall asleep, I needed someone to knock me out. As if my false wish was heard, I slumped to the floor, unconscious. The last thing I saw was a look of shock on the Canine Warriors' faces as they stood face to face with my attacker.

When I awoke, I felt cold. I wondered where Oki was. Why wasn't he here to hold me? To keep me safe from the monsters of the night? Then I remembered. I immediately sat up, my ears perked, and looked around. Rather, I felt around, because I couldn't see anything. I felt for my brush, so I could try drawing the sun, but it was not there. I yelped. I didn't know where I was, why I was here, and why no one was responding to my yelp.

"Hello? Anyone there? Hello?" I asked in a panicked voice, whipping around in circles, straining for anything, any sound. I heard nothing. I was shaking. I could not stand being confined in a small space, let alone a cage in an extremely dark place. I remembered Oki saying he would come if I howled. If he heard. Because I had no other plan, I howled as loud as I could, for as long as I could. I repeated this until I could howl no longer, and slumped down onto the cold floor of the cage. I whined miserably. How I wished Oki was here, holding me in his arms. I lay there, trying to think of any happy thought that did not involve a cage or Oki. I had no brush, no weapons, no ink. There was nothing I could do.

I figure at least a day has passed since I was confined in the cage. Occasionally, a bowl of food will appear in front of me when I wake up. Smartly, my confiner leaves the bowl of food when I am asleep. How they get it in here without me hearing is a mystery. I think about Issun, Waka, the Canine Warriors. All of which who have probably suffered for being my allies. Then I think about Otohime, the ruler of the deep sea Dragon Palace. She had turned herself into a water dragon so I could cross onto Oni Island. Was it possible she had been able to switch back? Or maybe whoever confined me had a space and an aquarium large enough to fit the water dragon? I sigh. There was no coming back. I might as well not eat and starve myself.

By the third day of not eating, I am trying to hold back. The food sits there, mocking me. The only thing that remains with me is Oki's amulet. It is the only thing keeping me from the food. But it is also the reason I want to fight to stay alive. Slowly, an idea formed. Perhaps if I eat the food, all of it, and fall asleep, more food will come. I will not sleep. I will pretend to sleep, scare my confiner out of its wits and make my escape. I sit down in front of the bowl, and start munching. Somehow I managed to finish all of the food. It was slightly stale, from sitting for three days, but it was better than nothing. I curled up and pretented to fall asleep.

There was no doubt I was being monitored. I would have to be cautious. I could hear footsteps. They sounded like they were a mile away; I had to strain to hear them. Thinking of my theory of being monitored, I quickly relax my ears. I nearly jump at the soft sound of a door opening. Food slides in, very slowly, very silently. When the food is nearly all the way in the cage, I leap forward, jaws snapping for anything they could get to. I bite something that feels like flesh, and my jaws are satisfied. I can hear a scream, and I can feel blood pouring down my chest. I pull and thrash around, trying to locate the exit of the cage. My back paw kicks something. The bowl! By now I think my enemy has been dragged inside my cage. I go to get a better grip on the thing I am ripping apart and my enemy seizes the moment. My jaws are clamped down, and I am kicking wildly. I am growling like there's no tomorrow. I thrash, I kick, but to no avail.

Will I die?

The question flies through my mind, lingers there. No. I will not be defeated by something I cannot see. I bring my front claws up and rip them down my enemy's arm. More blood. Another scream. My jaws around my victim's neck. I hear a crunch, and know I have killed my enemy. I have snapped his neck. My paw hits the bowl, and I know I must be close to the exit. I walk around the cage, pushing against it. Finally I find my exit. Not exactly graceful, falling out the side, but at least I was out.

I sniff around for anything I could recognize. My nose leads me to a small, slightly lit room where my weapons are being held, along with my brush and ink. I also notice a small box. I pick it up and drop it onto the hard stone floor, and it shatters. Inside I find Issun's sword, his brush, and his ink. So Issun was here too. I explore, looking for something of Waka's, but find nothing. Perhaps he got away. I take a deep breath, and my nose finds what it is looking for. Issun's scent. I follow my nose down a corridor, and at the end, I lose track of his scent. I look up. I see a tiny cage, about the size of a match box. I jumped up, grabbing the box in my teeth. It is suspended by a thick chain, which is not breaking. I hear a groan.

"Hey, stop it! Why are you torturing me? Where's Ammy? Where's Waka? I demand to know!" I let go of the cage and drop down.

"Issun, it's me, Ammy! Keep your voice down!" I whisper up to the cage. "Now keep still, and hold on to something." I jump up, grab hold of the cage again, and swing around. I thrash and wiggle until I can hear the groan of the chain starting to loosen. And then I stop to think for a minute. Power slash! Why didn't I think of that before? I drop down and draw a line across the chain. It snaps easily. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough to catch the cage before it fell to the ground.

"Ouch! Can't you be more careful, furball?" Issun said angrily.

"You're lucky you're even down, Issun," I growled. "You're welcome."

"Thanks, furball." He muttered.

I huffed. "You're welcome. Now let's get out of here and find Waka."

"Waka isn't here?"

"No, I didn't see his weapons in that room that I found. Speaking of which, here's your brush, ink and sword." I said, dropping the stuff in front of him.

"Oh, thanks! I don't know where'd I be without my sword and brush," He said happily. "Now, let's go find Waka. First things first: We make like a tree and leave!"

I huffed in laughter. We made our way down the corrider to the room I had found. I sniffed around, just in case I missed anything. Nothing. I lifted my nose and took a deep breath, trying to locate an exit to this horrid place. Issun perched on my head, like in the old days. I sighed. How I missed the old days.

Still sniffing, I walked around the edges of the small room. When I was almost back in the position I had been before, I felt a breeze ruffle my fur. There was a small crack in the wall, barely noticeable. So with my brush, I created a cherry bomb, which blew the wall out. We found ourselves looking over a ledge. It was night, the moon high up in the sky. I took a deep breath, for two reasons. One reason; because I had been locked up in what seemed to be the inside a mountain, and because there was only one thing we could do to escape. We had to jump.

_Leap before you think._

"Oh no, furball! I know what you're thinking. Not gonna happen on my watch!" When he got to the word "watch", I had shook him off me. I picked him up in my mouth, probably the safest place for him while falling down a mountain. He sure wasn't happy about it, but I think he understood that this was the only way. I stepped up to the ledge, fear making me hesitate. I really should have jumped before I started thinking about it. Suddenly, I heard yelling from behind me, getting closer every second.

"Stop that wolf!"

"It can't get away!"

"Someone get a leash and a muzzle!"

Uh oh. "No time to hesitate, we gotta go!" Issun yelled, and I leapt off the ledge. Something grabbed my tail as my back legs left the ledge. I yelped, pain instantly searing through my tail. Fortunately, I had enough force to pull whatever had hold of me down. We fell through the air, me twisting around trying to dislodge my attacker, my attacker screaming but keeping a firm hold on my tail. I tried not to crush Issun, who was squirming around in my mouth trying to get free of the wolf slobber, and I also tried not to open my mouth so he wouldn't fall out.

Then I saw it. The konohana blossom. My vine power! With my brush I quickly drew a line from the vine to me. The vine swung me over to the blossom, shaking my attacker off. I heard it screaming as it fell towards the ground, and moments later heard a thud. I had landed safely on the blossom. I spat out Issun, who looked at me with anger.

"Don't you ever do that again! We could have been killed! I'm too young to die!" The string of complaints went on and on until I smacked my paw over Issun.

"Ouch!"

"We probably would've died anyway in that awful place. Well, at least, I would have. Probably of boredom or starvation. Jumping was our best bet, and look, we're still alive, so I would be happy to be alive rather than complain about how it was risky," I growled to him. He stopped complaining, either because my words sank in, or because I was probably squeezing the life out of him.

"Let... Me... Up!" He sputtered.

I removed my paw. He stood up, trying to wipe the rest of my saliva off of him. "Sorry," I muttered. I looked around, taking in the view from the blossom. We were surrounded by a forest, which seemed black and foreboding. The mountain was to my left, sharp rocks at the bottom where my enemy had been skewered. I had a nagging feeling I was missing something. The feeling gave me a chill, every fiber of my being screamed _GET OUT OF HERE._

"We need to get out of here," I growled, trying to shake the feeling. It seemed the only way to get out was to fall into the forest below. I noticed a large rock, no, a _gigantic _rock, beneath me. It was big enough to be able to cause an avalanche, but about half the size of a regular mountain. It seemed to be about fifty feet below me, but that's a drop I knew I could survive. I grabbed Issun in my mouth again. He struggled. The hackles had risen on my back and I got a wild feeling that something bad was coming. I leapt without hesitation. A good thing, too, because a giant lightning bolt struck the konohana blossom just as my back paws left it. Flipping in midair, my feet hit the top of the rock, and the world turned black.

The feeling didn't last long, fortunately. At least, I think it didn't. Issun sat in front of me, his tiny arms crossed.

"Sorry, I know I didn't get your permission this time, but we're fortunate my senses kicked in about that lightning bolt," I said to him. He didn't say anything, just stared.

"Whatever, furball," Issun said, for a second looking like he wanted to say something else. He closed his mouth. Surveying the view below me, I felt my hackles begin to rise again. The wild sense had come back to me.

"We gotta move!" I yelped, grabbing Issun, yet again. I jumped, hitting a ledge beneath me. I heard a crack as the lightning hit the rock, in the same spot I had been standing moments ago. To my surprise, the rock split. There was no time to lose.

We were in the middle of an avalanche.

Issun was still in my mouth, pounding against my teeth. Too bad. He had to learn to trust me. My hackles rose again. I jumped down, ledge by ledge, listening as I heard the _CRACK _of lightning splitting ledges I had been on. I saw the rocks rain down around me, using my senses to predict where the next would fall so I wasn't the victim of a falling rock. Finally, believing I had reached the last ledge on the rock, I leapt the rest of the way down into the forest. I know for a fact that the lightning wasn't just a coincidence; it was a trap. Who knows what awaited Issun and I in the forest.

The forest was a bad idea. It wasn't just a forest, it was a _cursed_ forest. My ink started evaporating into the air. I was nearly helpless. When my ink runs out, I am temporarily weakened. So weakened that I turn into what looks like a regular white wolf. I know my ink won't return until I am out of this forest. I hear a twig snap, from my right. I turn, instantly obtaining attack position. I had five ink bottles left, out of nine. My ink was draining slowly, but I still had power to attack with my weapons before I will be rendered helpless. A green imp appears, the kind with the dart stick. They are easy to defeat, but as I stare into its stick, Oki's words come back to me: _There is light from the demons through the sun. If you ever find yourself lost, find the light and it will shine the way. _

I am now down to two ink bottles; the second one nearly drained to the bottom. I use my last ink bottle. I let out the loudest howl I could muster, and the sun appeared, taking the last of my ink. Instantly, the light from the sun shines through the trees, shining into the demon's dart stick. The light shined through the hollow stick, the beam hitting the etched sun in my amulet. My amulet shines with the intensity of the sun, blinding the demon. I noticed there were more than just one demon. There were many. All kinds of them, my beam shining on to them. They had used the shadows to conceal themselves, but now they are visible and my light is blinding them.

Killing them.

I hear screams of agony as the full force of my amulet's power reduces the demons to dust. My jaw dropped, and Issun, raging mad, jumped out.

"You have to stop doing that to-" Issun started, then looked around at the piles of ash littered around the forest, my amulet, which still shone brightly in front of me, and finally, the shocked look on my face.

"What...?"

I stood there, shocked. What in the world had just happened? I saw something in the corner of my eye, which shook me out of the trance. Waves. Bright, yellow waves, forming a bubble around me. A force field.

I felt invincible.

My ink had returned, but I was skeptical.

"There must be a Guardian Sapling here somewhere," I growled. Hmm. _Find the light and it will shine the way._ Finding the light: check. Shining the way: check. I guess the last option is to follow it. I cautiously took a step forward. The force field followed my movements.

"Who knows how long this force field will last. We need to find the Guardian Sapling!"

I look to Issun, who's still sitting in shock, trying to take in the images around him and make sense of them. I pick him up, seeing that he is in no state to ride on my head, and keep him in my mouth. I follow the beam of light through the forest, the force field keeping me safe from the cursed areas. Coincidentally, the trees seemed to be in a perfect straight path so the beam could shine straight ahead without reducing them to ashes. Unless... I turned the beam to the side, and it hit a tree about a wolf-leap away. Nothing happened. Apparently it was charmed for only evil.

Something strange happens. The beam of light ends because of a giant boulder. Surely the light couldn't end here? I noticed vines growing on the rock, so I stripped them away. Suddenly the light zips off to my right, reflecting off of the mirror I had uncovered in the rock. I followed the light, stripping away the vines off of the boulders that blocked the light's path. I zigzagged through the forest as if it was a maze; getting a feeling that it might never end. Then, when I have almost given up after about the twentieth rock, I hear a groaning sound. The light beam had found the sapling, where it grew steadily. I used my bloom power on it, helping it recover.

Then the light fades from my amulet. The force field disappears. The shadows of the forest disappear with it.

"And that's that," I say after dropping Issun on the ground.

"What the heck happened back there, furball?!" He demanded. Well, apparently he had recovered.

I was honest with him. "I... I don't know. I remembered Oki saying _'There is light from the demons through the sun. Find it and it will shine the way.'_ I guess I know what that means now, and I'm curious to see if it could happen again," I told Issun.

"That boy is trouble, I tell ya," Issun said, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't believe a thing he says," he said flatly.

"Someone's just jealous," I told him. He didn't look convinced.

"Jealous of what?"

"You know what I mean," I growled. "Why do you not like him anyway?"

"Well, he didn't seem to want to come with you, to be honest," Issun pointed out.

I think about this. Now that Issun mentioned it, Oki did seem a little more hesitant than he should have been. This worries me. A million _What If_ questions fill my mind. I dismiss them quickly, trying not to worry about him.

"Let's just find Waka." I said. "But first, we have to find a way out of this forest."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Samickle, no! I said to the left. No, your other left. Okay, nevermind! Just set it there! That's fine." Oki sighed, face palming himself. He turned to catch a glimpse of Samickle snickering, for he had succeeded in getting on Oki's nerves. Again.

Oki wanted the ceremony to go just right, everything had to be in place and ready. Everything seemed in top shape... But he was missing something. Oh, right! Ceremonial food... Like a caribou, perhaps? Something for a big feast. Yes, caribou would do. The only place he could possibly find caribou was in Yoshpet... The Consuming Forest. The last time he had been there he had been aided by the sword Kutone, which he swore never to touch again after he had returned from the mountaintops of Ezfuji, where he had slain the twin demons Lechku and Nechku. With the help of Ammy, of course.

Perhaps Kai could help. After all, she had lead Ammy through to find Ponc'tan, the city of the Poncles. Oki left the spot he had been watching the preparations from to find Kai. Earlier he had instructed her on making outfits. He leapt down from the top of the waterfall in Wep'keer, where he had been watching. The ceremony was taking place in Wep'keer. No one was sure when the ceremony was going to take place, whether it be tonight, tomorrow, etc. It all depended... the most important guest had to arrive until they could start.

Knowing Kai, she was probably doing the responsible thing and, Oki guessed, was at her house preparing what he had asked her to prepare. He trotted towards Kai's house, noticing the smoke rising from her chimney. As he padded inside, he felt a twinge of regret. Nice as she was, Kai was still a bit upset with Oki because she felt their friendship had ended ever since he started to like Ammy. No time to listen to troublesome thoughts, though.

"Kai? I... Uh, need your help." Oki said, fully emerging into her house. He hated asking people for help, because he felt embarrassed that a strong warrior like himself had to ask favors of people.

"What is it?" There sat Kai, sewing red designs onto a beautiful white dress. "It must be important, you rarely ask people for help."

Oki flattened his ears against his head in shame. "You could say it is. Could you possibly help me... With catching a caribou? I mean, not catching it but, um, like, guiding me through Yoshpet? Unless you have a better idea for ceremonial food but-"

Kai sighed. "Don't torture yourself, Oki. You do realize that everyone that lives here is Oina too? Is it really so hard to ask favors of people? Come on, you're the chief, too. Kind of pathetic if you ask me." She sounded harsh, but Oki knew she was hiding a smile behind that deer mask. He tried to ignore the insult.

"Was that a yes or a no...?"

"Ugh. Fine, I'll help. But you better promise to stay close, or else I'm not going back to find you and get us both killed."

"Okay, I promise to stay close. Thank you, Kai."

She mumbled a response he didn't quite catch.

"Oh, one more question, Kai. Exactly how long would a caribou's meat last after the caribou is killed?"

Kai sighed again. "Depends on where you put it. If you preserved it under the snow, it would last longer. I'm guessing that's what you'd like to do. If we did that, it would last for about... Hmm, say, five days?"

"Okay, great. And how long do you think it will take Am-"

"Probably a long time, Oki." How did she know what he was going to say? Kind of freaky.

"I suppose I shouldn't bother you with further questions. Tomorrow work for you? Sorry, I _swear _that's the last question. Unless you say no." Oki said, hoping that tomorrow did indeed work for her so he didn't have to inquire her any further.

Kai thought for a moment. "That's fine. I'll ask Samickle to keep an eye on Lika while we're gone."

"Thanks a million, Kai! See you tomorrow, then," Oki barked happily as he trotted out the door. He inhaled the cold air outside. Something seemed different. Was it just him... Or had the land gotten darker as he had been in Kai's hut? Everything was quiet. Minutes before, the tiny village of Wep'keer had been bustling with activity at the coming ceremony. So why was it so quiet? He cautiously walked into the center of the village. No one was outside.

"Where is everyone?" He whispered to himself. He then heard a scream. "Kai!" He yelped, whipping around in time to see a large black shadow exiting Kai's house. Suddenly, his whole body went stiff. He was frozen- but not out of fear. He felt a presence to his left. No, his right. It seemed to be everywhere but nowhere at the same time. He heard a cold, rasping laugh. It seemed to come from above him. _Am I going to die?_ Oki thought.

_Hehehe, you're not going to die, Oki. We only need you for... Bait. Well, then we'll kill you. But not now. Once the legendary white wolf is gone from this world, we shall take over. We almost had her, too!_

Oki's heart started beating faster, his eyes widening in fear. Then he heard another voice. It sounded like the noise you get when you use a dull knife to cut wood.

_You idiot! Stop giving away the plans! Don't you ever watch those movies where the enemy captures the victim, blurts all the plans out, and the victim gets away to use what they have learned to their advantage? Blabbering fool! _

_But master, he shouldn't be getting away, should he? If you are as strong and smart as you say, we needn't worry about his escape, yes?_

_Shut up, Itshakena! _The demon named Itshakena ignored him.

_I'll only tell you this, blue wolf. We shall possess your body, luring Amaterasu in until she is in range- and then we strike! Well, you strike. And then, bye-bye, little- AAAACKKK! _Itshakena shrieked, as if something had struck him.

_I said, shut up! Sheesh, Ninetails listened better than you, and he was a fox! Remind me, how in the world did you become my second-in-command? _

_Well actually, I'm your second-in-command because-_

_Don't bother answering that, because it was a RHETORICAL QUESTION, fool!_

_Are you mindless creatures done arguing yet? _Oki thought, regaining some humor. _This is worse than me and Samickle!_

_Mindless? We're OBVIOUSLY not mindless. We wouldn't be talking to you if we were! Duh, dumb wolf! Hmm, maybe I'll keep you... unlike SOME people around here, you actually have a sense of humor!_

Itshakena's master, feeling the insult was directed at him, snarled at Itshakena.

_I'll show you a sense of humor! I should bite those talons off of you right now!_

_Go for it! _Itshakena muttered some pretty undignified words after that comment. Soon, they were in quarrel. Fortunately, the demon Itshakena had just possibly saved Oki's life, and if what he said was true, then Itshakena had just saved him from a possibly endless torture. At some point in their quarrel, whatever had Oki frozen was lifted from him. He backed away, slowly, and when he felt he was a safe distance from the seething black shadow, about ten wolf-leaps away, he turned and took off into the forest of Yoshpet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Let's take a rest," I said, yawning. It was dusk, and the sun was nearly drowned by the horizon. The forest casted gloomy shadows, and for some reason, it felt kind of familiar...

Issun interrupted my thoughts. "A rest?" He echoed. "We've only been walking for like... Three hours!"

"Three hours is enough to make my paws full off, okay? Well, under normal circumstances. But today didn't have normal circumstances!"

"Oh, please. Your necklace there suddenly creates a force field, burns all the demons in the forest to ashes, and then bounces off mirrors hidden in boulders and then leads the way to the Guardian Sapling! Totally normal circumstances."

I sighed. A wolf's gotta do what a wolf's gotta do sometimes. I stopped, and I turned to fully take in my surroundings. To my right; a small path lead to a cave, big enough to fit me and Issun, even though he didn't take up much space. To my left; a tree with a width of about a small merchant's wagon had fallen, a large rock blocking its fall and creating a suitable den for me and my partner.

"Cave or tree?" I asked Issun, who sighed at my stubbornness.

"I think the cave would offer better shelter, right?"

"Probably." So I walked the small path to the cave, settling down onto the smooth stone floor. I quickly fell asleep, for I was so tired I really thought my paws _were_ going to fall off.

When I woke up, the sun was just barely above the horizon. I yawned, wanting to sleep more. I nearly drew a moon in the sky, but Issun interrupted me.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead! Time to go, go, go! Let's get out of this creepy forest. Now that I've had a good night's sleep... This forests seems kind of familiar, don't you think?"

I groaned. "Five more minutes..." I mumbled.

"Didn't you even hear my question, ya thick-headed furball?" He bounced on my head, trying to get me up.

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," I said sleepily. I was half-awake, half in dream mode. What _really _woke me up was the sound of the forest foliage breaking as something about slightly smaller than the size of a bear came barreling through it. A dark blue flash of fur crashed straight into me as I curiously walked from my temporary sleeping place.

The impact was so powerful that it knocked me, Issun (who was holding on to my head for dear life), and the blue mass of fur a couple wolf-leaps away. As soon as I had recovered myself, I assumed attack position, snarling at the large furry object. I pounced on it.

"What the...?" I started, realizing that this was no enemy and immediately getting off.

"What the...?" Issun echoed. "What in the name of furball here are you doing here, Oki?!"

"Uhhhhnn..." He moaned. I recovered from my surprise, quickly going to help him.

"Oh, gosh, I'm _really _sorry!" I exclaimed, turning to my human form to pick him up. He turned to human form, which seemed to happen every time he got hurt. He rubbed his head.

"Uhhn... Ouch. Huhhn?" He looked at me, then up at Issun, then back at me again. "What...? Who...? Oh!"

"Are you okay?" Issun asked. My eyes also portrayed the question. "I think you might wanna hit him over the head, Ammy... Just for good measure," Issun whispered into my ear. I swatted at him in annoyance.

"Hey, Ammy. What are you doing here? And why are there three of you...?"

Three of me? Oh, that impact must've really rattled his brain a little bit. "You might need to lay down for a while, Oki," I told him, concerned. "Here." I dragged him the couple wolf-leaps back to my temporary shelter. Of course, I had questions, but I could save them for later. I sat down, leaning against the back of the cave for support. I gently lowered his head into my lap. Issun muttered some things that I ignored.

"Mhmunn," Oki moaned.

"Sleep." I ordered him. If he hadn't barreled into me, I probably would've taken a nap myself. The morning's activity had woken me up too much to sleep again. About five minutes later, Oki had fallen into a reluctant sleep. As I enjoyed the scenery from my cave, Oki suddenly started thrashing around in his sleep. I poked him.

"Maahh!" Oki shrieked, waking up instantly.

"You all right?" I asked, holding his head in my hands.

"Ammy! No, stop! Go away before they get me! They'll-"

"Whoa, calm down! Cool off, man!" Issun interrupted. "Who's gonna get you?"

Oki took a deep breath before continuing. "There were... Demons. In Wep'keer. I think they took all the villagers... They came for me, talking about how they would possess me as bait to lure you in, so they could..." He trailed off, knowing I got the impression.

"Oh..." I said. I sighed. More evil. This time, using my friends against me. Nothing I couldn't handle, though! I stood up, ready to face this new evil and defeat it before it could gain more power.

"No, Ammy, I only escaped because the two demons were fighting. They froze me, Ammy, literally froze me! This is something we need to know how to fight before we fight it. But promise, please, promise me that if I start acting weird, please just leave me be and _run_. For your life."

"I can't promise such a thing, Oki. You know me. I'd never leave a friend behind, especially you," I said with a smile. I helped him up.

"But-" He protested, but I interrupted him with a quick kiss. I held him tight, as if our embrace could drive away the evil that haunted him.

"Alright. I get it. You're not gonna leave your friends. I guess... I can respect that." He said after he pulled away. I smiled at that.

"I'm glad you understand. Now, shall we?"

"Wait, Ammy, before we start this new adventure..." He said, taking my hand. "There's something I have to do."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Where are we going?" I laughed, despite the chill in the air.

"There's something I haven't done yet. Whoa, slow down. Be careful, we're entering Wep'keer. We'll have to go the long way."

"Or..." I said, "We could always use a Mermaid Pond." I paused at the edge of the forest, digging a hole deep down into the ice. Soon I was successful in finding water, and I tossed in a Mermaid Coin. I tossed in one extra for Oki.

"Ever used one of these before?" I asked him.

"Ohhh, yeah. Once. Vowed to never do it again after that... Ended up in Shinshu Field, soaking wet, nearly scared that dojo guy to death." Oki admitted, and it made me smile.

"Well, before we jump in, where exactly are we going?"

"Uh, Ryoshima Coast."

"Okay. Ryoshima Coast," I told the pond.

"What's in Ryoshima Coast?" Issun asked. He had been so quiet, I had nearly forgotten he was there.

"Um... Stuff. Wait, that water's probably freezing!" Oki exclaimed. Too bad. I grabbed his shirt as I plunged into the icy water.

When we resurfaced, I checked the surroundings. Perfect, we ended up just where I knew we would. I walked out of the small pond, Oki spluttering behind me. We had resurfaced at the tiny pond next to the portal to Northern Ryoshima Coast.

"Ugh! It's so cold!" He complained, hugging himself. I giggled. I used the technique Galestorm, which dried us off a little bit.

"You would think with all those layers of clothes you would be warm!" I smiled at him.

"I fell into cold water. The less clothes you have on, the more comfortable you'd be," He said, shivering. "Also, I'm not exactly wearing a lot of clothes. They're just... Baggy,"

"Mmm. Well, guess we'll have to find you another outfit. Unless you want to go shirtless..." I said with a laugh. He gave me a look of horror.

"Um... No thanks. I'll just take off my vest," Oki said, taking the vest off. Can't say I wasn't disappointed... Ah, nevermind. He took the lead, and I couldn't help noticing the funny way he walked due to his half-drenched pants. It was like watching a penguin try to walk more like a human... but succeeding in a strange half-waddle half-walk. I wonder if that's how I walked when I first got my human form...?

He noticed me watching him and shot me a glare.

"Aww, someone's Mr. Grumpy Pants today! Hehehe..." I taunted.

"Oh, shut up," he said. I could tell he was hiding a smile. In fact... I think he was...

"Are you blushing?" Issun said, announcing my thoughts.

"...No!"

"You hesitated."

"Jeez... Get off my back, alright?"

"I'm not on your back."

He face-palmed. "That's not what I meant!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, were we playing the literal game or the figurative game?"

"We're not playing a game!"

"Mmmhmm."

"In the name of sweet Amaterasu someone _please _shut him up!"

"Issun," I said.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Okay. Sorry, Ammy."

"Mmm." After that, Issun stayed pretty quiet. We passed through the portal to Northern Ryoshima Coast. We continued walking down through the beach, eventually reaching the restaurant where I had obtained the Whirlwind power from helping the chef prepare a marlin. Oki lead me inside.

"It's quite possibly the end of the world, and instead of going to save Nippon, you're taking me on a date?" I asked, though I wasn't quite mad. It was kind of... Touching.

"Well... what if one of us... ya know, doesn't make it? Whether it me or you, I wouldn't have the privilage to take you on a date if you or I was dead, right? Besides... This isn't really a date..."

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

His eyes widened in something that looked like fear. "Um... I was just hungry, that's all. Aren't you? Can't fight on an empty stomach, right?" He mumbled something I didn't catch after that.

So we sat down at the table closest to the door. The other tables were taken.

"Why are we here?" Issun asked, and yet again I had forgotten he was there.

"To... have a drink and grab a bite to eat, I guess," I answered. The waitress came over and took our orders. The menu was basically all some form of marlin with a couple exceptions for some other weird types of fish. I ordered a marlin dish with soy sauce, ginger, sea salt, and lemon slices. Oki ordered the same thing. I tried some attempts at a conversation while we waited for our food, but Oki was acting strange and just answering things with "Mhhmm..." So I gave up.

He kept tapping his fingers on the table, almost like he was expecting something or someone. He looked to be deep in thought. Then all of the sudden...

"Bonjour! Did you miss me, ma cherie?" Waka said, walking through the door. I jumped, and Oki immediately lost the day-dream look.

"Waka...? But... How...?" I stammered, relief flowing through me but also rage. "How could you not have come back for me! I was all alone in that cage, scared to-"

"Excuse-moi, baby!" Waka interrupted. "I was running an errand for dear Oki here. In my time running Oki's errand, I had no time to prophesize. I would ask what happened to you, but Oki's got a very important question to ask so I'll leave this conversation to him," Waka finished, handing Oki a small box. I didn't get a good look at it so I had absolutely no idea what was inside. Oki blinked a "Thank You" to Waka as the Moon Tribe member exited the restaurant.

That was... strange. But I was more curious on that box. "What's in the box? And what do you have to ask me?" I asked, curious on the answers.

Oki fumbled with the small box under the table. I noticed he was shaking, as if a blizzard had just rolled in and he had no suitable clothes. "I'll... Uh, tell you after dinner," he said quickly, trying to change the subject.

Soon after the waitress returned with our meals. We thanked her and began to chow down. The food was actually quite good, despite being fish. I'm not the biggest fan of fish. I ate quickly, devouring my food within seconds. Oki, on the other hand, picked at his food. It took him about half an hour before he had eaten the last bite. The waitress returned with the bill.

"I'll take the bill," said Oki.

"No, I've got it," I said, reaching for the bill.

"No, let me get it. I take you on a date, I pay," he said, leading my hand away from the bill.

"No, I've got it! You wouldn't believe how much I've saved during my first adventure."

"Come on, Ammy! I _insist_ you let me-" he stopped midsentence, due to me taking a fork and stabbing it between his index and middle finger.

"Whoa, okay, okay! Jeez..."

"Hmph," I said, crossing my arms and flashing Oki a content smile.

He sighed. "Why is it girls always get what they want?" He mumbled.

"'Cause we're vicious when we don't," I answered simply. Then I remembered the small box and Oki's promise to explain it.

"What about that box?" I asked, after handing the money to the cautious waitress. Had it not been Oki who nearly fell out of his chair at my question I would've died laughing.

"O-Oh," he stammered. "Y-Yeah... About that..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: This is the first time I'm using an author's note... Don't want to disturb your reading! Anyway, please review and tell me if there's anything I should put in here and if I have mistakes so I may correct them. Thanks! (I didn't put this in before but I'm pretty sure you've heard it enough times: I do not own any of the Okami characters - except for my OCs)**

**Chapter 6**

He wanted to curl up in a hole and lay there until the storm inside of him had ceased. There were so many things running through Oki's mind at the moment. He just wanted to _say _it... but couldn't find the courage to. Normally one would be excited and ask it without hesitation, but when asking a god this sort of question, things could get messed up.

_Just say it! _He thought frantically, trying to make his mouth form the words he had been looking forward to saying but also dreading.

He managed to form the first word. "Will-" _CRASH!_ Suddenly the lighting went out in the restaurant, leaving everyone in pure darkness, save for the dusk sky filtering through the windows.

_What's going on?! _He felt for Ammy's hand. "Ammy...?" He whispered.

"Right here," she whispered back, to his left. She grasped his hand.

"What's going on?" Oki whispered.

"I have absolutely no idea," she whispered.

"The lights went out, that's what's going on!" Issun said sarcastically. Oki was about to mutter a comeback but was cut short.

"Sorry everyone!" A voiced boomed throughout the restaurant, silencing the people who were screaming. "I'm new to the whole power thing... I guess this wasn't the best place to practice. Let me just fix this for you..." With that, the lights flickered back on. Everyone in the room gasped, some people fainting upon sight of the creature. It was a wolf... but it wasn't a normal wolf. This wolf had wings like a dragon, two horns upon its head about double the size of its ears, a mane with a pattern of lightning bolts, and a gauntlet around each of its four legs. The dragon-wolf was a normal wolf-grey in color, apart from the horns, wings, the lightning bolt patterns in its mane, and its gauntlets, which were all an electric-blue.

"Hey! I assure you, I am no threat! I swear it!" The creature boomed.

"What's it saying?" Someone whispered. Of course, since it was part wolf, only Amaterasu, Issun, and Oki could decipher its language.

The wolf looked at each person in turn before it spoke again. "I'm Arashi, or Storm. I'm a student under Gekigami, the god of thunderstorms. I was sent here to aid in Amaterasu's quest, and it appears my scenting has paid off..." He said, trailing off as his eyes rested on Amaterasu. "Shall we take this outside while the humans recover?" He asked, cocking his head.

For a while, Amaterasu, Issun, and Oki had been shocked into silence. Amaterasu was the first to recover. "Yeah..." She said cautiously. She took Oki's hand and let Storm go first through the door.

Once they were outside, Storm turned and wagged his tail. "You're Amaterasu." He stated, more than asked, as he pointed his muzzle towards Amaterasu. He turned to Oki. "And you are?"

"Oh, uh, I'm Oki," Oki said.

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Issun yelled. "I'll just introduce myself, 'cause it's more _respectful _than waiting to be asked," he said, directing the comment at Oki. "I'm Issun. Nice to meet ya, Storm!"

Storm dipped his head in acknowledgement. "And to you, Issun."

Issun wasn't done talking, though. "So does this mean that all of the 13 brush gods have a student? Were they all sent here to help us? Are they all wolves? If not, what do-"

"SHUT UP!" Amaterasu, Storm, and Oki all said at once.

"Okay, okay! Hey, the more knowledge the better, right?"

Everyone groaned. Issun had to be the most annoying Poncle in the history of Poncles.

Storm spoke up. "I can answer those questions, if you promise to _stay quiet_." He growled the last two words.

"Okay, I promise. Lips sealed," Issun zipped his lips, locked them, and pretended to throw away the key.

Storm sighed. "Yes, all of the 13 brush gods have a student. Though the gods are never mentioned to have students, it doesn't mean they're not real. I'm the only one who's following you on your quest till the end. The others will find us when the time is right. And yes, they are all wolves.

"Oh, and by the way, remember that little lightning show? That was me making my dramatic entrance. Sorry about almost zapping you. It's in a student's nature to test the one we're destined to aid. Which means you'll know when the next student is coming to help."

"Then how come it took you so long to find me if you landed near me?" Amaterasu asked.

"Well, a student doesn't exactly land where they want to... most of the time it's nowhere near our destination. Besides, you're a hard one to catch, and that was a cursed forest you were in. No way was I going in there!" He spread his wings and took to the night sky. "Now, are we ready to get this show on the road?"

"Wait, I have a question," Oki piped up.

Storm dove down closer, spreading his wings to slow down. "Yes?"

"What exactly does a student do? I mean, do they inherit their mentor's power?"

"Ah, this is the good bit, my favorite bit. You see, we _create _their power." Everyone gave him a blank face. "Let me explain it this way," he said, ascending into the night sky. There was suddenly a blast of thunder. A large storm cloud had just formed over the ocean, lightning bolts reaching towards the dark water. It soon disappeared. Storm dove down to the ground, slowing himself with a beat of his wings, and landed softly.

"See? Pretty cool, huh?" He asked, a wolfish grin forming on his face. "I create a thunderstorm, Gekigami uses the lightning created by it."

"If that's the case, then wouldn't that make you... Like, more powerful than Gekigami?" Issun asked, forgetting his promise to keep quiet.

"Not technically, no. Gekigami can also move the clouds. I can't, and I can't control the lightning, either. But you can, right?" He asked, turning to Ammy.

She nodded. "Yeah. Shouldn't you know that? I'm able to control all of the Celestial Brush techniques."

"Well I did I was just... confirming," he explained.

"Wait, why doesn't furball have a student?" Issun asked.

"Does she really need one? I mean, she can control, like, _everything._" Oki stated.

She nodded. "Sort of. I'm not as advanced as you students are, but I can use all of the normal brush techniques." By this time, Amaterasu was itching to get on with the adventure. She wasn't a conversationalist. She finally couldn't take it anymore. "Can we _please _just get moving? I'm dying for an adventure!"

**I know, kinda ended at a weird spot. But I'm totally out of ideas! If anyone has any good ideas please be sure to tell me, meaning that until I have another idea, I won't be updating. (Also, if you're familiar with the Warriors series and Doctor Who, I have started a fanfiction story on that crossover. It's VERY short compared to this.) **


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